125 articles in this issue
Travis Salisbury
Environmental factors, such as exposures to pollutants, are believed to play a role in many cases of breast cancer; however it is not clear how this mediated. Dioxins are among the most stable and widespread pollutants in the environment, and they are pro... see more
Jayme L Waldron,Shane M Welch,John Holloway
Negative human wildlife interactions are often contingent on a species’ spatial ecology and habitat use. Interaction outcomes can contribute to species imperilment and are exacerbated when the wildlife species suffers human persecution. Wildlife species t... see more
Maria Babiuc Hamilton
We have gazed at the night sky since the dawn of time, marveling at the beauty of the cosmos and trying to understand its inner workings. Now we can “hear” it: tiny ripples in the very fabric of space time, that tell stories of great cosmic cataclys... see more
Donald D Gray
Specific force was introduced to the science of hydraulics in 1860 by Bresse in his analysis of the hydraulic jump. Since that time, this function has also been shown to be a valuable tool for understanding and calculating the forces on transitions and ob... see more
Emma Kist,Jeff Kovatch
Ecological niche theory suggests that, because closely related species cannot coexist in the same ecological niche, subtle differences exist among species that appear to cohabitate. Metabolic rate can explain variations that potentially enable species coe... see more
Almuatazbellah Boker,Aranya Chakrabortty
Systems that share a communication network are ubiquitous in this day and age. Examples of such systems include sensor networks, swarms of robots and power grids. In this work, we design a distributed control system for networks that have multiple dense c... see more
Sinan Demir,Hayri Sezer,Vyacheslav Akkerman
Majority of theories, associated with the variety of flame acceleration scenarios, are based on the "geometrical formulation”: namely, the wrinkled to planar flame speeds ratio, Sw / SL , is evaluated as the scaled increase&n... see more
Evan Lau,Caitlin Frame,Edward Nolan,Zachary Dillard,Marcus Kinker,Daniel Lukich,Nicole Mihalik,Katelyn Yauch,Samantha Waychoff
The upwelling of nutrient-rich South Atlantic waters (as part of the Benguela current) along the Namibian coast sustains some of the highest rates of primary production in oceans, which involves important steps in the Nitrogen cycle. However, the ecology ... see more
Sinan Demir,Ali S Rangwala,Vyacheslav Akkerman
Accidental gas/dust explosions constitute a tremendous hazard for personnel and equipment in industries, such as coal mining industry that has one of the highest occupational fatality and injury rates, claiming hundreds of lives annually. Among various fa... see more
Abdulafeez Akinola Adebiyi,Vyacheslav Akkerman
Most industrial processes utilize fossil fuels as energy source which produces greenhouse gases and other hazardous emissions. In the U.S., industry generates circa 21% of greenhouse gases, being thereby the major origin for the emissions. . In order to r... see more
Jordan A. Mader,Sytil Murphy
The Seeding Your Future Initiative started in Fall 2014 with the goal of providing STEM outreach in theEastern Panhandle of WV and the surrounding tri-state area. The Initiative began with the Seeding Your Future Conference, which will be in its third yea... see more
Rebecca Barnes,Deanna Schmitt,Tricia Gilson,Joseph Horzempa
Francisella tularensis is classified as a Category A bioterrorism agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inhaling as few as ten of these bacteria can cause acute, lethal pneumonia. Studies using mouse models of infection have shown that ... see more
Austin Cusick,Jessica Payne,Anna Gaughenbaugh,Joseph Horzempa,Roger Seeber,Adam Kenney
Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium that causes the potentially fatal disease tularemia. In parts of Europe, specifically Scandinavian countries, mosquitoes are capable vectors of F. tularensis. Presumably, mosquitoes become colonized ... see more
McKensie Mason,Theunis Van Aardt,Jon Serra
The reaction between methyl 2-methoxyphenylacetate and 4-methoxy-2-O-methoxymethylbenzaldehyde to form the aldol product methyl 3-hydroxy-2-(2”-methoxyphenyl)-3-(2’-O-methoxymethyl-4’-methoxyphenyl)propanoate is significant in the current study of the syn... see more
Kristen Akers,Mark Flood
Fingerprints are one of the most important pieces of evidence that can be presented in prosecuting of any crime. Five different surfaces were tested: glass, paper, aluminum, duct tape, and cardboard. The eight techniques chosen were crystal violet reagent... see more
Joshua Means,Laurance Raines,Kaye Ellis,Miguel Pazos,James L Spencer
Online instruction in colleges/universities is a growing part of the educational process. An ever increasing percentage of programs at West Virginia State University (WVSU), and higher education institutions in general, involve an online component. The pu... see more
Brendan Jarrell,Vasile Stadnitchii,Zhijun Wang,Qing Wang,David J Klinke
Colorectal cancer is a common, yet deadly disease that provokes an estimated 200,000 new U.S. cases per year. In a recently released study, research was done on lab mice to assess the effect of OXP and IL-12 on liver-implanted colon cancer cells. In the s... see more
Priya Arumuganathan,Preetha S Phillips,Colleen J Nolan,Carol Z Plautz
We are analyzing the effects of Roundup and its components on the pond snail, Lymnaea palustris. Roundup is a commonly used herbicide composed of the chemicals Glyphosate, POEA (a surfactant), and Diquat Dibromide (DD). By testing the effects of Roundup a... see more
Hanif Mirza,Mahmood Hossain,Tadashi Kato
The goal of this project was to identify the existence of psychophysiologically significant levels of coherency between the activities in different areas of the brain triggered by different types of music. This study was performed using Electroencephalogr... see more
James Joy
A study to determine adult visitation patterns of two forensically important carrion flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Phormia regina (Meigen) and Lucilia (= Phaenecia) coeruleiviridis Macquart, was conducted at a wildlife management area in southwestern We... see more
Nick Duffield,James Joy
Twelve pairs of putative sensory trichites (= sensilla) in the food canal of Chrysops callidus Osten Sacken are described. Eight paired trichites are located in the distal half of the food canal of all flies in the sample population (n = 26 females), but ... see more
Naaman Dyer,James Joy
Putative sensory structures in the food canal, and distal vestibule region entering the canal of Tabanus atratus, are described. Two pairs of sensilla were observed in the walls of the vestibule; a distal pair of the basiconic type, and a pair of setifior... see more
Zulfiya Muradova,Hannah McDonald,Peter Hopkins,Qing Wang,Zhijun Wang,David J Klinke
Tuberculosis is a complex bacterial infection that can be influenced by many variables. This project attempts to analyze the spread and transmission of tuberculosis using a simplified model. The SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infectious, recovered) model is ... see more
Nicole Currie,Tifani Fletcher
The patterns in which parents interact with their children, known as a parenting styles (PS), permeates many aspects of adult cognitions and behaviors. The majority of PS research has focused on behavioral outcomes, such as elementary and high school perf... see more
Victor Fet
We present "Euscorpius", the first and only periodical, online research publication completely devoted to scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones), which is located online at www.science.marshall.edu/fet/euscorpius and on Marshall Digital Scholar (MDS) at http:/... see more
Nathan Corp,Osman Guzide
The term Li-Fi stands for light fidelity, which was coined by Harald Haas, the inventor and main researcher for Li-Fi. This technology uses LED (Light Emitting diodes) lights that can transmit data faster than what the human eye can pick up, allowing the ... see more
Karl Gall,Osman Guzide,Nathan Corp,Ryan Earls
The main focus of this research will be on pervasive computing. Pervasive computing, (also called ubiquitous computing) is the growing trend towards embedding microprocessors in everyday objects so they can communicate information. Pervasive computing dev... see more
Tyler N Kambis,Jordan A Mader
Arsenic is one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust and is a contaminant in the groundwater of many developing countries, as well as certain areas within the United States. Using polystyrene foams created by High Internal Phase Emulsion poly... see more
Thomas K Pauley
In 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Cheat MountainSalamander as a federally threatened species. I have collected data on this speciesover a 39-year period spanning from 1976 through 2015. Sexually mature malesdisplay two secondary s... see more
Rachel Pierce,Peter Vila
The cost of chemically produced nitrogen fertilizers can be cost prohibitive to farmers. One method of reducing the input of chemically based nitrogen fertilizers is to plant nitrogen fixing cover crops such as the important food crop Phaseolus vulgaris, ... see more
Michael Bates,Jon Serra,Theunis Van Aardt
The objective of this research project is to synthesize trans-pterocarpans, an isoflavonoid that does not occur naturally. Trans-pterocarpans are of particular interest because they may display increased steroidal activity when compared to the naturally o... see more
James Horner,McKensie Mason,Theunis Van Aardt,Jon Serra
The objective of the research project is to synthetically produce trans-pterocarpans, a new but non- naturally occurring flavonoid. In order to achieve this, a synthetic method must be developed to produce the desired stereo outcome of the pterocarpan pro... see more
Hunter L Aliff,Sean A Collins
The goal of our research is to assess the overall diversity of and to evaluate the presence and relative abundance of declining bumble bee species (e.g., Bombus affinis, B. pensylvanicus and B. terricola), in Kanawha County, WV. We collected bees locally ... see more
Mohammad Ranavaya,James Joy
The gills of 37 of 173 freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, collected from two locations on the Kanawha River, West Virginia, USA, from 25 May through mid-October, 1986, were infected with glochidia (i.e., larval mussels). Of the 85 hosts ca... see more
Austin Rizzo,Stuart Welsh,Patricia Thompson
Length measurements are an integral part of age/length data used for fish population studies. For those species that are rare, threatened, or endangered, using a nonintrusive method to obtain measurements may be imperative in allowing for continued study ... see more
Luke K Sadecky,Nicole M Sadecky,E Joseph Nolan IV,Zachary Loughman
Crayfishes are essential constituents in maintaining freshwater ecosystems, yet little is known about them. The goal of this study was to better understand the ecology of a common Appalachian secondary burrowing crayfish, Cambarus bartonii carinirostris (... see more
Deanna M Schmitt,Kristie L Connolly,Ann E Jerse,Melinda S Detrick,Joseph Horzempa
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the cause of the second most common sexually transmitted infection, with approximately 80 million new cases of gonorrhea reported annually. The recent emergence of clinical isolates resistant to the last monotherapy against this b... see more
Emily Setser,James Joy
The feeding tube of Hybomitra difficilis is made up of a short distal vestibule followed by a food canal that leads to the cibarium; the two regions demarcated by the vestibule/food canal junction. Two pairs of sensilla were consistently observed in the v... see more
Brittany Sheppard,Mark Flood
The analysis of unknown powders found on crime scenes is important in the field of forensic science. Specificity is critical to the process of drug analysis. Several drug-screening tests have been created for use in forensic field investigations involving... see more
Devin Sindeldecker,Joseph Horzempa
Francisella tularensis is a bacterium that can infect humans with fewer than ten bacteria and is the causative agent of tularemia. If untreated, tularemia causes mortality in approximately 60% of those infected. Due to the ability of this bacterium to be ... see more
Michael DC Smith,Gerren D Simms,Mengyang Li
Traditionally Langmuir monolayers and lipids bilayers (including cell membranes) on water interfaces are made of amphiphilic molecules with both polar hydrophilic and non-polar hydrophobic parts. It has been discovered that non-polar hydrocarbon chain mol... see more
Marley Snider,Mark Flood
In a forensic case, hair can be an important component in determining a victim, or a suspect involved in a crime. Hair is often one of the most abundant sources of evidence found at a crime scene. Unfortunately, hair without an attached follicle is often ... see more
Khrysten Stolins,Mark Flood
In forensic science there is a need to use casting material to lift shoe impressions from certain areas of the ground for criminal cases. The objective of this experiment was to determine which casting material would give the mold better details of the sh... see more
Patricia Thompson,Stuart Welsh,Austin Rizzo
Ammocrypta pellucida (Eastern Sand Darter) and A. clara (Western Sand Darter) are the only sympatric sister species of Ammocrypta, and the Elk River in West Virginia is one of the few remaining places where both species occur. They are slender, sand-dwell... see more
Stuart Welsh,Zachary Loughman
Fish passage facilities for reservoir dams have been used to restore habitat connectivity within riverine networks by allowing upstream passage for native species. These facilities may also support the spread of invasive species, an unintended consequence... see more
Hannah C. Williams,Carol Z. Plautz
Ldb1 is a relatively new gene is the realm of eye development. Its role as a transcriptional cofactor is well-known, but its targets and direct effects on the developing optic cup, retina, and lens are still to be understood. This project uses Xenopus lae... see more
Tiffanie Wilson,Tifani Fletcher
Priming may be a means to increase prosocial behavior, and past research suggests that individuals with higher levels of altruistic beliefs may be more susceptible to different forms of priming. The extent and circumstances in which priming influences pro... see more
Dana Zeid,Allyson Bias,Brian Antonsen
Manganese (Mn) is a metal ion that is essential for healthy brain functioning at low levels (Quintanar, 2008). However, excessive exposure to Mn can lead to manganism — a neurodegenerative disease that manifests in Parkinsonian symptoms. High levels of Mn... see more
Amanda L Smythers,Aaron Holland,P Ethan Adkins,Derrick Kolling
Microalgae, with their ability to grow in adverse environments using a variety of water sources, is an advantageous source of energy that will not compete with food supply. Chlorella vulgaris is a high lipid producing microalgae which research shows has a... see more
Evan Lau,Daniel Lukich,Tuan Le
The copper-containing membrane-bound monooxygenase enzyme family consists of enzymes facilitating the oxidation of methane (catalyzed by particulate methane monooxygenase, pMMO) and ammonia (catalyzed by ammonia monooxygenase, AMO), in both aerobic and an... see more
Jonathan Gilkerson,Joanne Chory
In plants, a number of small, chemical molecules, known as phytohormones, modulate growth. In the past decade, however, peptide hormones have been identified as playing essential roles in plant growth and development and evidence gathered from a number of... see more
Jillian Mayle,Alice Magro,Albert Magro
Apoptosis is a major mechanism of cell death that occurs in the chemotherapeutic and the radiological treatment of malignant tumors. Glioblastoma is a type of brain cancer that does not readily metastasize, but is very invasive and highly malignant. Chemo... see more
Ashley D Moore,Supriya Shrestha,Gerald R Hankins
Glioblastomas are almost invariably fatal brain tumors. Glioblastoma incidence in men is 1.5 times that of pre-menopausal women and this difference decreases post-menopause. Therefore estrogen is thought to play a protective role, although the mechanism i... see more
Deborah Mary Moore,T Ryan Withers,Hongwei Yu,Wendy Trzyna
Acanthamoeba provide a potential alternative to mammalian models for investigation of bacterial virulence. Acanthamoeba, a ubiquitous single celled eukaryotic microbe, feed on bacteria within their environment. Bacteria can be utilized as food, establish ... see more
Deborah Mary Moore,Hongwei Yu,T Ryan Withers,Wendy Trzyna
Acanthamoeba spp. are single celled eukaryotic microbes found within a wide variety of environmental niches. Acanthamoeba have a dual lifecycle consisting of an active feeding trophozoite stage, and a dormant cyst stage that enhances their survival when e... see more
Ashley Haught,Joseph Horzempa,Deanna Schmitt,Taylor Rogerson,Edward Beaumont,Tricia Gilson
Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium that causes the disease, tularemia.Humans acquire tularemia through inhalation, oropharyngeal exposure, or tick bites. A unique feature of F. tularensis during infection is its ability to invade eryt... see more
Matthew Morgan,Jacob Roach,Nathaniel Hitt,Craig Snyder,Zachary Anderson,Lindsey Donaldson,Peter Vila
The thermal regime of headwater streams has important consequences for fish physiology and population dynamics. However, research typically focuses on temporal variation in temperature at a single point (i.e., gage station) without considering its spatial... see more
Preetha S Phillips,Priya Arumuganathan,Colleen J Nolan,Carol Z Plautz
Roundup, a commonly used herbicide, has been shown to have adverse effects on different non-target organisms, particularly on reproduction and development. Roundup has been demonstrated to affect the steroidogenic pathway, specifically the rate-limiting s... see more
Evan Lau,Marcus Kinker,Zachary Dillard,Daniel Lukich,Katyln Yauch,Nicole Mihalik,Edward Nolan
The human microbiome is composed of the symbiotic, commensalistic, and pathogenic bacteria that live on and in different sites of the human body. Recent studies on the human microbiome has provided insights into its implications for human health and physi... see more
Deborah Pope,Connor Tyree,Christopher Racine,Dianne K Anestis,Gary O Rankin
Chloronitrobenzenes are key chemical intermediates used in the manufacture of dyes, agricultural agents and industrial compounds. Although some data exists on the toxicity of mono- and dichloronitrobenzenes, there is a paucity of data on the toxicity prof... see more
Richard Sloan,Sara Sawyer
Corals are symbiotic with dinoflagellate algae. This symbiosis allows corals to thrive in the nutrient poor waters of the tropics. Coral beaching is the loss of the endosymbiont due to environmental stressors such oxygen loss, bacterial infections, and ch... see more
Kyle Clark,Mark Lesser
Acid mine drainage, also known as acid rock drainage, is one of the major environmental complications in West Virginia. Acid mine drainage is when abandoned mines leak heavy metals into streams and rivers. Acid mine drainage also leaches into the groundwa... see more
Ryan Snader
The effects of five different salinity levels were assessed on the freshwater snail Physa gyrina, survival rate based on mortality and reproduction based on production of jelly masses. Biofilm accumulation in recirculating aquaculture tanks can negatively... see more
James L Spencer
Climate change is a contentious subject to many. Despite its overwhelming support by climatologists, many challenge its impact, source, or even existence. These doubts may stem from insufficient knowledge about climate and statistics, lack of appreciation... see more
Geneve Edwards,Mandee Wilson,Mindy Armstead
Mayflies may be more sensitive to aquatic contaminants than surrogate test organisms used to determine anthropogenic effects on aquatic ecosystems. While toxicity testing could be utilized to establish a direct link between contaminants of concern and may... see more
Mark Lesser,Andrew Seifert
It is a long-held assumption that species' upper elevational and latitudinal range limits are correlated-i.e., species that grow at higher latitudes also reach higher elevations-but the degree to which these limits match and the climatic factors controlli... see more
Connor L Tyree,Deborah Pope,Jordan Tate,Christopher R Racine,Dianne K Anestis,Gary O Rankin
Dichloroanilines (DCAs) and dichloronitrobenzenes (DCNBs) are important chemical intermediates in the manufacture of a wide variety of industrial, agricultural, and pharmaceutical agents and have been found to induce nephrotoxicity in vivo and/or in vitro... see more
Paula Gyamfi,Bruce Anthony
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder that diminishes the function of nerve cells. Amyloid-beta plaques and tangles have been seen as the possible sources of Alzheimer’s. In the case of amyloid-beta plaques, they are caused by an enzyme, beta-sec... see more
Laurel Bragg,Bruce Anthony
Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are an inherited set of diseases whose main phenotype is progressive stiffness and contraction in lower limbs as a result of peripheral nerve damage. This genetic disorder follows inheritance including autosomal domin... see more
Aline Yamamoto,Bruce Anthony
Excessive consumption of alcohol during pregnancy causes fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which is represented through growth deficits of neuronal stem cells contributing to microencephaly and neurological abnormalities. These changes seem linked ... see more
Brooke Lancaster,Bruce Anthony
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are associated with a mother who consumed alcohol while pregnant. FASD symptoms in the fetus include physical effects, behavior abnormalities and learning problems. Phenotypes are associated with alterations in prol... see more
Angelica Harvey,Bruce Anthony
Multiple Hereditary Osteochrondroma/Exostoses (MHE) induces benign bone tumors at the ends of long bones and often leads to skeletal deformities and tumor formations at the end of these bones. Recent research suggests an under-laying cause associated with... see more
Aaron Kessler,Bruce Anthony
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a set of developmental disorders that come to those born from mothers who drink alcohol during gestation. Phenotypes are associated with alterations in proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis of ... see more
James Gainer,Bruce Anthony
Excessive alcohol consumption, during pregnancy (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, FASD) or in adult alcoholism, induces significant developmental and neurological alterations that effect neuronal development or brain plasticity respectively. &... see more
Elizabeth L Kelley,Edward A Wovchko
Quantum dot light emitting diodes (QD-LED) are considered to be the next advancement in display technologies. Quantum dot LEDs may improve the standard of LED technology by providing a purer color, cutting manufacturing cost, and having a higher efficienc... see more
Stephanie Landry,Jim Anderson,Rich Rogers,Amy Welsh,Chris Ryan
Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which requires state agencies to affirm stability of their populations before granting exportation authority to international markets. The West ... see more
Zachary J Loughman,Nicole Sadecky,David Foltz,Cynthia Cyprych,Clarissa Damis
In 2015, a survey of epigean crayfish of Tomlinson Run State Park was conducted. The park is located in Hancock County in West Virginia’s northern panhandle. A preliminary habitat survey was conducted to map all reaches of intermittent and perennial strea... see more
Emma Malcomb,Kimberly A Bjorgo-Thorne
Natural gas is a valuable resource for West Virginia’s economy and people. The requirements to build wells, however, may have impacts on West Virginia’s land and water resources, especially with over 1,900 completed wells and over 1,700 permitted wells in... see more
Caleb Martin,Deanna Schmitt,Leah Figurski,Alex Hayden,Francisco Leon,Joseph Horzempa
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 2 million people infected with drug-resistant bacteria in the USA resulting in over 23,000 deaths in the past year. The development of new antibiotics and therapies tha... see more
Maya N Menking-Hoggatt,Robert J Cooper,Nadja Spitzer
Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are distinguished by their unique antimicrobial actions. Since AgNPs inhibit the growth of bacteria, they are incorporated into common consumer products such as clothing, electronics and medicine. In concentrations as high as 5... see more
Ryan Miller,Zhijun Wang
Docker is a relatively new take on Linux container based virtualization. Docker is quickly being adopted and used worldwide for its ease of use. It makes use of Linux kernel namespaces and control-groups to isolate running container instances, which are s... see more
Allison Moore,Kelly Humphreys,Chelsea Price,Erica Harvey
Students of all ages across West Virginia are being recruited to help with solar energy research. Fairmont State University is the headquarters of the West Virginia Brigade of the Solar Army, which is searching for cheap, abundant metal-oxide combinations... see more
Greg A Myers,Zachary W Dillard,Katie Scott,Nicole M Sadecky,Luke K Sadecky,Zachary J Loughman
Due to their fossorial tendencies, primary burrowing crayfish are the most difficult behavioral group of crayfish to study in-situ. In this study we elucidated both natural and life history aspects and intraspecific behaviors from a collection of 111 indi... see more
Michael Norton,Masadur Rahman,David Neff,Manjira Kumar,Ian Waddell,Andrea Hensley
Many people are becoming increasingly interested in learning the composition of their drinking water. However, for a variety of reasons, only very limited information is available to the public and even to the suppliers of drinking water. Clearly, ubiquit... see more
Natalia Omelchenko,Kathleen Loughman
A growing number of studies support the superiority of active learning approach over traditional instructions and demonstrations. The active learning approach often relies on engagement of the students in problem solving activities using relatively comple... see more
Jessica Poffenberger,Vasile Stadnitchii,Zulfiya Muradova,Peter Hopkins,Qing Wang,Zhijun Wang,David Klinke
West Nile Virus (WNV) is a widespread disease mainly transmitted by mosquitoes. While humans are considered dead-end hosts once infected, birds have been documented to produce high enough levels of the virus to spread WNV to mosquitoes. Thus, bird populat... see more
Daniel Proctor,Jeremy Keene
Morphological and molecular analyses within the subtribe Gloxiniinae have led to the discovery of several previously undescribed genera. One of these genera comes from studies of the species Diastema vexans H.E. Moore, which has been identified from centr... see more
Jayce Riley,Allison Moore,Kevin Dudley,Erica Harvey
The Solar Army is looking for affordable metal oxide combinations that will help sunlight quickly and efficiently split water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. Hydrogen gas can then be used as a clean-burning chemical fuel. Students researchers across the... see more
Nichalos Dahlheim,Bruce Anthony
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) demonstrates increased DNA damage and ultimately apoptosis in neural crest stem cells necessary for early development. In adult alcoholism, neuronal stem cells also demonstrate increased DNA damage from chronic and ... see more
Brandon Chang,Deanna Schmitt,Joseph Horzempa
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram negative bacterium in the enterobacteriaceae family. This organism is an opportunistic pathogen that has been associated with antibiotic resistance in recent years. The discovery of new antibiotics is critical to combat thi... see more
Taylor Rogerson,Joseph Horzempa,Deanna Schmitt,Ashley Haught,Tricia Gilson
Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium that causes the disease, tularemia. Humans acquire tularemia through inhalation, oropharyngeal exposure, or tick bites. A unique feature of F. tularensis during infection is its ability to invade ery... see more
Meagan Rouse,Samantha Byrum,Joe Nolan,Natalia Omelchenko,Stephanie Bradley
Recent studies indicate that more than 40% of individuals ignore alert sounds, making the improvement of the specificity of alarm systems a vital task. Here, we decided to evaluate if EEG markers may better dissect the alert effectiveness and advance aler... see more
Joseph A Roxby,Natalia Omelchenko,Nisha Chaudhry,Joe Nolan
The personality of an individual defines the behavioral choices, but the traits that define personality remain uncertain, limiting our ability to create a computable model of a personality and predict behaviors. We proposed a new functional personality mo... see more
Nicole Sadecky,Zachary Dillard,Katie Scott,Zachary Loughman
Cambarus veteranus (Guyandotte River Crayfish) is endemic to West Virginia’s Upper Guyandotte basin (UGB) and currently petitioned for federal listing as endangered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At the turn of the last century, C. veteranus was ... see more
Mitchell R Scharman,Kristen Lillvis,Anna Rollins,Amber Wright,Shayla Owens
Writing is an integral part of communication in the sciences, which allows an effective exchange of ideas, observations, and results within any scientific field’s community and to the general public. However, when writing in science courses is needed, stu... see more
Katie Scott,Zachary Dillard,Nicole Sadecky,Luke Sadecky,Greg Myers,Zachary Loughman
Arnold Ortmann, one of the nations first crayfish biologists, conducted crayfish surveys in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s across western Pennsylvania. Unique for the time was Ortmann’s inclusion of primary burrowing crayfishes. Primary burrowing crayfi... see more
Christian Shimer,Peter Hopkins,Qing Wang,Zhijun Wang,David J Klinke
An expression vector based on the Semliki Forest Virus (SFV), an alpha virus replicating in the cytoplasm of infected cells originally discovered in the Semliki Forest in Uganda, was developed to express interleukin 12 (IL-12) and SVF-IL-12 were shown to ... see more
Kristen D Sikorsky,Anthony P Sako,Joseph Horzempa
Francisella tularensis is a pathogenic coccobacillus endemic to North America and is classified by the United States government as a Tier 1 bioterrorism agent. The intentional release of antibiotic-resistant strains of F. tularensis could be disastrous. S... see more
Nicholas Tucker,Victoria Broadwater,Dan DiLella,Ruth Conley
An HPLC method was developed for the quantification of biogenic amines in insect hemolymph. The major challenge in the analysis is that a typical sample only contains a few hundred pictograms of the amine. A C18 column and electrochemical detection was us... see more
Kesley Wagoner,Joanna Webb
Asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral molecules by chiral metal complexes has emerged as a useful synthetic tool for the preparation of single enantiomer molecules and has diverse application in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals. To date,... see more
Zhijun Wang,Qing Wang
The Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program in the Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Engineering at Shepherd (grant number: DUE - 1259713) has been funded by NSF since June 2013. The overall goal o... see more
Robert Warburton,Shelby Shajimon,Danica Wilson,Qing Wang
Paclitaxel, a natural lipophilic diterpenoid, is currently used in chemotherapy for treatment of some cancers. Paclitaxel acts by blocking the cell cycle at the G1 and M phases and prompts apoptosis. Previously reported studies (Fowler, et al., 2000; McCl... see more
Maren W Wentzel,Sara Sawyer
Wolbachia is an intracellular bacterial symbiont that infects the reproductive tissue of Arthropods, particularly insects. Wolbachia is transmitted primarily through the ova cytoplasm, and alters reproduction of their host. Wolbachia have been linked with... see more
Sasha N Zill,Sumaiya Chaudhry,David Neff,Reyne Spychalski
Information from sense organs that detect forces may be particularly important in neural control of muscles as modular groups (synergists). We have performed comparative studies to characterize force detection in insects using physiological studies in sti... see more
Lauren B Clower,Kim Bjorgo-Thorne
Students enrolled in ecology or environmental science courses for non-majors often have misconceptions related to anthropogenic forcing of climate change and sustainability. The purpose of this study was to examine the sources of these misconceptions and ... see more
Nisha Chaudhry,Natalia Omelchenko,Joseph Roxby,Joe Nolan
The Big Five Model of Personality has limited support in the field of neuroscience and challenged by low factor–criterion correlation (0.2-0.3, N=142). To overcome these limitations, we previously attempted to create an alternative model. For that model w... see more
Samantha Byrum,Meagan Rouse,Joe Nolan,Natalia Omelchenko,Stephanie Bradley
Mental fatigue is one of the main factors which leads to performance errors. Previous studies indicated that mental fatigue can be detected using EEG. Here, we attempted to see if comparable EEG changes can be observed after an exposure to a continuing al... see more
Michael Bates,Joshua Benfield,Theunis Van Aardt,Jon Serra
The goal of this research is to synthesize trans-pterocarpans, an unnatural isoflavonoid.Trans-pterocarpans are of interest because they may display increased steroidal activity when compared to the natural cis-pterocarpans. First, a Williamson ether synt... see more
Teresa Faykus,Kayla Boggs,MacKenzie Davis,Anna Humphrey,Victoria Humphrey,Leah Minch,Morgan Dowler
The purpose was to collect assessment data with three separate health literacy tools and compare the efficiency of identifying individuals that are at risk for low health literacy levels.Health Literacy is defined as the capacity to obtain, communicate, p... see more
Megan Behrmann,Jacquelyn Cole
The average American consumes 300mg of caffeine a day, and only about 70% is metabolized into Theophylline and Theobromine. The other 30% is excreted primarily through urine, where it goes to water treatment plants and then into the environment. Previous ... see more
Jessie Feather,Tyler Groves,Phil Yeager,Mark Flood
Throughout recent years, the water quality near Marcellus Shale drill sites has been questioned. The hypothesis of the experiment was that the surface water quality would be negatively affected by Marcellus Shale Drilling. The abiotic properties tested we... see more
Emily Detemple,Douglas Swartz
The purpose of this study was to analyze specific water systems in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia for analytes that are commonly found in coal mining, the steel industry, and hydraulic fracturing processes. Since these industries are prevalent in... see more
Thomas Mark Hakey,Edward A Wovchko
Recent developments in controlled drug delivery technology has benefitted modern medicine by providing patients with efficient, noninvasive methods that enhance the action of drugs, reduce dosing frequency, and decrease adverse side-effects. Porous silico... see more
Ryanne Brown,Rosalynn Quinones-Ferndandez
The presence of crystal polymorphisms within common pharmaceutical drugs can alter the drug’s stability, rate of absorption into the body and bloodstream, as well as its effectiveness. Manipulations to the drug’s disposition surface with organic acid self... see more
Jeremy A Feury,Edward A Wovchko
With the overabundance of detrimental gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, efforts are being made to not only remove them but to utilize them in artificial photosynthetic pathways. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are well-known photocatalytic ma... see more
Dakota Burdette,Joanna Webb
The partial oxidation of hydrocarbons into alcohols is an economically attractive reaction for the production of commercial chemicals and fuels. This reaction is particularly intriguing in an area like West Virginia where more efficient use of natural gas... see more
Cara Holloway,Jordan A Mader
Arsenic pollution is a problem for many parts of the world, including portions of WV. Arsenic has been linked to cancer and other serious health problems. Because thiol (-SH) groups have an affinity for heavy metals such as arsenic, it is possible to make... see more
Ashley Hoffmaster,Brittany Bonnett,Sadegh Faramarzi,Danielle Grodi,Blake Mertz,Erica Harvey
Micelles are spherical assemblies of detergent molecules that form in aqueous solutions.The hydrophilic head of each molecule faces water on the outside of the sphere and the hydrophobic tail of the molecule points toward the center of the micelle. While ... see more
Swayde Carpenter,Ana Ramirez,Amy Parsons-White,Nadja Spitzer
Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) are neural progenitor cells that differentiate into neurons and glial cells in the brain throughout an organism’s life. The sub ventricular zone(SVZ) in mammals holds a niche of NSCs that are involved in neurologic plasticit... see more
Amanda Chapman,Mindy Armstead,Mandee Wilson
Freshwater ecosystems are known to be impaired by disturbances within their watersheds.These disturbances may result from multiple sources ranging from resource extraction to development (e.g. urban, residential, industrial, and commercial). Even low leve... see more
Brooke Comer,Ruth A Conley
The Madagascan Flat-Horned Whistling Cockroach, Aeluropoda insignis, is one of several species within Tribe Gromphadorhinini that uses acoustic vocalizations during courtship behavior (Brown, Robinson and Conley, 2015). Previous research showed some males... see more
Emily Clark,Deanna Schmitt,Joseph Horzempa
Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon that serves as a threat to public health. The investigation and discovery of novel antibiotic compounds is essential for battling the trend of decreasing antibiotic efficacy. The National Center for Natural Pr... see more
Elliot Collins,Deanna Schmitt,Kristen Sikorsky,Anthony Sako,Joseph Horzempa
Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium that causes the disease, tularemia. Tularemia can be transmitted to humans in many ways including: inhalation, biting insects, contact with infected animal tissue, and contaminated food and water. Th... see more
John Barry,Wendy Trzyna
Acanthamoeba are single-celled protists able to survive in many different environments, but are most commonly found in soil and freshwater sources. Due to their free-living nature, Acanthamoeba often face a variety of precarious, environmentally stressful... see more